Arcade Fire, Neil Young top Canada’s Polaris Prize nominee list

The initial long list of nominees for Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize have been announced, and the list is predictably eclectic. Indie superstars Arcade Fire and legendary iconoclast Neil Young top the list that includes veteran acts such as Ron Sexsmith, Stars and Sloan as well as newcomers like Dirty Beaches and Diamond Rings.

From the long list of forty, ten finalists are selected to compete for the top prize. That short list will be announced July 6.

The award (including $30,000 cold, hard cash) was initated in 2006 and is given to the top Canadian artist as voted by a jury composed of 227 Canadian music writers.

Arcade Fire recently played Tennessee’s Bonnaroo music fest for the first time. Neil Young also appeared at that festival, with the reunited Buffalo Springfield. Read an exclusive interview with him here.

The Polaris Award was won by Montreal rock band Karkwa in 2010. The previous year, the honor was picked up by Toronto-based experimental punk unit F*cked Up.